Your bowel habits isn’t the nicest and most socially appropriate topic to talk about, but it’s a huge part of our functioning body and a greater indicator of your health than you might think. When I see patients, I usually try to get a gauge of their bowel movement to assess their colon health — how often are they pooping? Is the process difficult?

Although there is no fixed rule on how often a person should poop, generally pooping anywhere from three times a day to three times a week is normal. Pooping also shouldn’t be a painful process. If you frequently experience bowel movements that are painful to pass or result in lots of cramping after, you should see a doctor as you could have a condition such as ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or Crohn’s disease. Also, while it’s normal to experience episodes of constipation or diarrhoea occasionally, they should not be a consistent part of your stool pattern.

In medical terms, gastric pain is used to describe upper abdominal pain or pain just right above the belly button and below the ribs. It is often confused with stomach pain. While most pain experienced in the upper abdomen indeed arises from the stomach, some of the pain may originate from other organs like the bile duct, small intestine, gallbladder, pancreas or liver. In such cases, it may signal something more serious, such as kidney stones or the presence of a stomach ulcer.

How do you tell if your gastric pain is caused by a bigger underlying problem, and when should you consult a doctor? Here’s my take.

According to the World Health Organisation, cancer accounts for about 9.6 million deaths, making it a leading cause of death worldwide. Stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, is one of the most common cancers; in 2018, there were 1.03 million cases and 783,000 deaths in the same year. It is a disease we should be concerned about, especially since it is more prevalent in Asia. In Singapore, stomach cancer is the 6th most common cancer for Singaporean men and 8th for women. This means about 1 in 50 men will develop stomach cancer in their lifetime.

Acid reflux is a normal process where acidic content of the stomach flows up the esophagus, causing a burning sensation in the upper stomach or chest. It is common for people —including myself— to experience acid reflux from time to time. However, frequent reflux can irritate the lining of the esophagus, giving rise to a condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Our digestive tract contains about 300 to 500 different species of bacteria — some harmful, and some necessary for a healthy body. We term these bacteria collectively as gut microbiomes. Many doctors who specialise in gut health agree that having a wide variety of good bacteria can provide benefits like enhance your immune system and improve symptoms of depression. Several studies done in the past two decades also demonstrate the link between gut health, autoimmune diseases, cancer and more. Simply put, if you have a bad gut, it can take a toll on your entire body.

These days, I’ve been noticing a trend in young people having gut problems, especially among the working class. I credit this to stress, lack of sleep and eating too much processed food; these facets of modern life can damage our gut microbiome.

How can you tell if you have an unhealthy gut? Here are some telltale signs.